Game Theory: Nintendo in a Book

I like retro gaming. With an original Nintendo you just can't go wrong. Okay, you can, but it's still pretty fun.

You know what isn't fun? Cords and gaming systems taking up space.

How do you solve a problem? Turn it into something much more manageable. And so I turned a 2nd Gen NES into a book...well, put it into a book. Here's how...

Organize your cords, and then take the outside housing cover off your NES.

Then take out the individual pieces. The insides will help guide what you gut out of your book.

Choose a book that is bigger than the pieces you have. Also, if you can be witty about it, it will bring you great joy later.

I chose a Game Theory book. Irony? Pun? Innuendo? One of those.

Similar to how you prepare a book with a secret compartment, you need to stabilize the pages of the book before cutting into it.

Take a paper cup, pour some Elmer's glue into it and then add some water to water it down. It should be a watery consistency, don't worry, when it dries it will hold. By watering the glue down you make it easier to be absorbed into the pages of the book and thus a deeper glue hold.

Select a depth in pages into the book to start (you want a few pages for effect and to mostly hide the internal NES workings).

Use a small paint brush (I got mine for like $0.50 at a hardware store) and paint the top, side, and bottom of the book pages, keeping the top pages separated. Then, take the top two pages not glue covered (after finishing with the glue brushing) and lay them over the ones glued (this will make it so you can close the book with a separator, weigh it down, and let it dry).

So do that (See pictures).

Don't worry if you get a little pooling at the bottom of the bool where the pages meet the hard cover. Simply wipe them with the brush and it will dry clear.

Place your NES pieces on the book (once the book is dry) and outline where you will have to cut. Be aware of both dimension and depth into the book. Leave a little bit of extra space in the dimensions so the pieces can fit in easily.

Also, make sure the piece placement allows for:
(1) the cords to easily plug in at one side of the book, and
(2) for the cartridge holder to face toward the book front cover and have enough room on all sides to fit aesthetically with the design.

Then, carefully, with an exacto knife cut, a few pages at a time the depth you need out of the book along your traced lines. **This part will take a while. Go carefully and go slowly and don't rush. You have a very sharp tool and taking your time will be the safest. Additionally, depending on how thin the pages of the book you are working with, you do not want the pages to tear incorrectly due to haste.

Once you have reached the desired depth, paint the bottom pages with more Elmer's/water solution and let dry. This harder bottom area will create a more desirable area for attachment.

As long as you have some pages below your pieces, I used the small screws that originally screwed the internal pieces to the housing, and screwed the internal pieces directly into the book. They hold well.

After screwing in the pieces, you then need to cut the top layer of pages to allow for the cartridge holder to show through. After this, mark and cut the front hard cover of the book to take a cartridge. (Leave the book cover off for now.)

Lastly, put the book cover on and cut it with a sideways uppercase "I" cut...cut a horizontal line in the center of the cartridge opening, and then two small vertical lines as bookends to that horizontal line. The goal is for the book cover to look almost seamless on first glance.

Place in a cartridge and make sure it fits snuggly.

Plug in all cords and turn the NES on and make sure it works!

Tweak anything that needs finesse.

Tecmo rules!

[[Video(http://youtu.be/ulgPO_6so2Y)]]

Hide that wonderful toy!